Refulgent Winter
by kingslanding
Summary: The Man in the Moon gives Jack a task he doesn't quite understand: to protect and guard Queen Elsa of Arendelle until she exhales her last breath.
1. Chapter 1

**Refulgent Winter**

Just a head's up: you'll need to have seen Rise of the Guardians to understand what's going on when it comes to RotG references :)

* * *

When he first sees Elsa, nothing makes sense to him. All he can think is, _'Why her?'_

She looks beyond the age of childhood, and the laughter that erupts through her body—as she slings an arm around a red-haired girl—gives him the impression she's entirely content with her life. What does she need a guardian like him for?

Jack barely knows what to expect when orders come from The Man in the Moon (then again, Jack never in a million years imagined himself rising from his death as a chosen guardian either, so he holds himself back every time he considers running to North for some answers about Manny's requests).

When The Man in the Moon had painted the shadow of Queen Elsa of Arendelle against the rooftop he'd been walking on one evening, Jack knew this wasn't just any other task.

His only job has been to watch over the children of the world—_his_ children—but with Pitch gone and out of the picture, Jack guesses his sole purpose in this world isn't to just feed off the kids' beliefs towards him anymore. Maybe this is what Manny is trying to tell him, since of course, the moonlight from above is always watching, always aware of what Jack is capable of.

Perhaps it's time for him to explore what his powers are truly made for.

And explore is what Jack does.

It's night time as he continues to examine the girl with white-blonde hair through an open window. He can't seem to understand what is needed of him in that moment, but he waits—as if his patience will be granted with a promising reward. Resting his weight against his magical staff as he floats outside by the top of the castle, Jack brings a delicate finger to the glass and allows frost to spread in elegant patterns along the surface.

He doesn't really know what his fingers are making, but as he draws a shape that loops into a spiral, his frost immediately dissolves and Jack almost loses his balance from the sudden unfamiliarity. With his brows furrowed intensely, he tries to design his ice against the window again, but it melts away like it had before.

"What?" Jack whispers to himself. With more force than he intends to use, he straightens and grabs his staff this time before tapping the bottom against the window. A flurry of ice hardens the glass. Fog exhales from his work, but swiftly—almost in the blink of an eye—the window melts its coldness away all over again.

Jack kind of staggers back in midair. He has confusion written in his expression, and not knowing what else to do, he glances up at the night sky in frustration. "What's going on?"

The Man in the Moon doesn't say a word, but it's like Jack knows the silence is a response saying, "You'll figure it out. Keep trying, don't give up."

Sighing as he drops his gaze back to the window, Jack decides on using his staff once more. He's only used a handful of extreme power when he went against Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, but now it's like this simple window is much more complicated than getting rid of the dark monster himself.

So with a focused grunt, Jack pulls his arms back with his staff in his hands before sending the bottom of the stick straight towards the glass. However, in absolute milliseconds, the window shatters loudly and Jack recoils backwards with a racing heart.

A screech follows immediately as the glass pieces fall into the large room of the castle. A panicked female voice cries out, "Elsa!"

"Anna, get out of the room. Now," a firm voice commands.

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

A few seconds pass, and although Jack wants to peer into the window to see what takes place of the panicked conversation, he assumes the two ladies he'd seen the backs of earlier are staring at one another like they're standing their ground, too stubborn to listen or follow orders.

"Fine." The firm voice grumbles momentarily, and then quickly adds, "But stay right where you are, Anna. I'm going to see what's up there."

In a matter of seconds, there's a layer of fog that filters outward from the broken window—like winter is coming towards him. Jack is too stunned to bolt or do something reasonable like _hide_ rather than get caught like a deer in headlights, but he can't think of anything else aside from the fact that he feels stupid for still _being_ in shock at what he'd just done.

He could fail Manny's mission if he doesn't scurry. However, his feet feel frozen.

Before Jack can even blink, the white-blonde head he'd studied the back of just minutes ago appears into the view of the window. She seems to be standing on what looks like an ice staircase.

Elsa—who Jack presumes is her name—holds her hands out in front of her to form the last of her steps. Jack blinks in awe and his lips part, but he's uncertain as to whether or not she's seen him yet.

"Elsa," Jack murmurs under his breath as if to test the waters, but it seems that he's more-so testing the way her name falls from his lips. Elsa doesn't react. Instead, she continues to build her staircase until it leads her outside of the window and onto the rooftop of the room.

"Anna, I'm fine—everything's fine," Elsa calls towards the other girl inside. "I'm going to repair the window. I'll be back as soon as I'm finished."

Jack doesn't hear the response, but he thinks it's because he can't take his eyes off of the gorgeous woman in front of him. He feels his breath hitch, but he holds it for as long as he can before he inhales sharply—only to breathe in a scent of coldness, apples, and cinnamon.

Jack gulps.

Elsa props her light blue sleeves up until they reach the inside of her elbows, and then she uses her hands once again to create a replica of the window Jack had broken. One thing that Jack doesn't suspect though is when she turns her head slightly so that he can only see the side of her face. "I can see you, you know," she says coolly, her hands finishing up the repairs.

"Wha—you can?" Jack asks dumbly, but then reaches for the back of his neck. He rubs along the ends of his hair near the nape, and he almost smiles sheepishly at her. "Of course you can. Glad to know you believe in me."

"Believe in you?" This time it's Elsa who's pausing and turning around to face him fully. "What do you mean?"

"What—I-I—uh," Jack stutters, and then swallows down his uncertainty. "Um, nothing—of course you can see me. Because I can see you," he quips experimentally, being sure to include a lopsided smile for good measure.

Jack is unknowing as to why he decides to hide his position as a guardian, but he feels as if it's the only right way to go. Especially since Elsa has no clue who he is. Saying he's a guardian would most likely result with a laugh in his face.

That is until Elsa drops her gaze to his bare feet. And then the staff held loosely in his hand.

"You're floating," she states obviously, but her voice is steady—like she's trying to figure out the possible backgrounds that this stranger in front of her might have. "Why."

She isn't asking; she's interestingly demanding the answer. Nonetheless, Jack finds it amusing.

He feels that he admires this about her. The corner of his lips tug upward and he eyes her like she's the reward he'd been waiting for since he first arrived. It's like Jack can see that she means no harm towards him. And that gives him enough pleasure to smile even further and press onward, "You seem to question my capabilities, your majesty. Though I'm not questioning yours," Jack says with his voice as smooth as velvet.

Elsa drops a brow while crossing her arms in front of her. She gives him a sweet but scrutinizing gaze and then she points a hand towards the ground far below them. Morphing another staircase towards the lower levels, Elsa offers an interesting smirk before she leaves him floating where his feet still feel frozen.

Quickly, Jack looks up at Manny. He's kind of frustrated, perhaps overwhelmed by beauty and confusion and ice and _Elsa, _and it all causes him to whisper questioningly at The Man in the Moon, "What now?"

He stares and stares until he thinks it's official that The Man in the Moon is shaking his head at him with a hearty laugh. Jack realizes Manny hadn't planned on seeing him break a window as his first encounter with the Snow Queen.

Jack laughs at himself as well before glancing towards the foot of Elsa's second ice staircase. He watches as the solid melts beneath the summer night air. It brings a sense of sparkle onto the garden beneath him, but what he finds more beautiful than the flowerbeds is the look Elsa gives him before she enters into her palace.

He doesn't understand how she's so calm about coming across a person who floats—a person who isn't even _alive_—but he figures this is just the beginning.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hi! It's Steph! (not sure if i'm doing this author's note thing correctly but anyways) I'm loving this ship so far and I just had to start writing some JELSA! I have so much in store for this story that I'm secretly hoping none of you readers are expecting ;)

This is my first fan fiction ever, so please just put up with the ugly mistakes I never tend to find while editing! Hahaha thanks for reading!

(I'll be creating a music playlist for this story along the way!)


	2. Chapter 2

**Refulgent Winter**

Question: Should I make my chapters longer?

Big shout outs to the awesome people who reviewed the first chapter:

_Blue-Phoenix311_  
_Missy'Cinnamon_  
_Shannon Sumner_

And also, shout outs to the ones who favorited and followed as well! It means so much to know you guys are interested heehee.

* * *

Jack doesn't think to lay his hands on the castle anymore (at least not with his powers). Instead, he walks onto the sturdy roof till he's by another window that casts sunlight into a large room. As he pops his head around and peers inside, it's obvious he's looking for Elsa.

He hasn't searched the entire castle yet per say, but she's still no where to be seen.

_'Where is she?'_

He listens to the birds as they chirp upon the trees around him. The noise reminds him of the Baby Teeth back at the Tooth Palace. Smiling reminiscently, he remembers saving one of them before Pitch Black had captured everything from Toothiana's grasp. The little one had fit into his hands and perched atop his shoulder during the long journey of destroying their enemy. And she was even there when he learned his memories from his Tooth Box.

It seems to be ages ago when it happened, but he still looks back on the days he became a true guardian and it's enough to keep himself in check everyday.

Maybe it's his ears that are too deceiving, too caught up in his past, but Jack hears a light humming and he can't help but stand up straight, allowing his eyes to scan all over the place just so he can seek further concentration in scoping the sound. His brows are furrowed but when the soothing croon turns into a beautiful singing voice, Jack swears his ears might go numb from such elegance he can't believe he'd lived his immortal (and mortal) life without.

"_Something has changed within me. Something is not the same..._"

Eagerly, Jack flies towards another wall that's closer to the voice, and when he turns the corner, there's a large window with curtains pulled back, revealing something he isn't prepared for. He sees Elsa before he notices the empty room. But as his eyes watch the way she pulls her hair down so it lands into soft waves along her back, it's like he's never seen vacancy look so occupied.

"_I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game... Too late for second guessing, too late to go back to sleep... It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap._"

Jack feels his lips form into a soft smile as Elsa does a little skip in her step. He pulls himself down into a criss-cross position to get comfortable and moves his staff so that it rests across his lap.

"_It's time to try defying gravity_," Elsa sings and as she does, her right hand raises till a figure of ice begins to form to the right of her. She lifts her left hand now and brings it around the front of her body to create rush of icy wind. "_I think I'll try defying gravity... And you can't pull me down._"

A smile spreads on Elsa's face and she throws both her hands up in the air to cause snow to fall from the ceiling. Jack swears he can't pull his eyes away even if he were to ever _want_ to. "Wow," he murmurs in amazement.

He's created snow before, but never like he's seen Elsa's. There's something in the way she smiles at her work, like she has pride in herself that no one else can give her; she's a rather independent woman.

Another thing that causes Jack's smile to widen.

"_I'm through accepting limits 'cause someone says there's so... Some things I cannot change, but till I try I'll never know_."

It happens before he can even register what is going on.

One second he's watching Elsa walk around the grand room, her ice and her snow and her wondrous power creating something almost as beautiful as she is. But then the next, she's turning on her heel and pointing the palm of her hand towards him. And the last thing Jack sees before ice blurs the entire glass, are her piercing blue eyes and that ever-so-mindful smirk.

**- LINE BREAK -**

When Jack returns to North's Workshop, he spots Bunny staring up at The Man in the Moon. Bunnymund seems to be pulling his brows together with his arms crossed, and all Jack can wonder is _what in the world is going on with him?_

"Don't you bug him too much about it," North says with his playful and heavy, Russian accent, and Jack perks up at the sound of his voice.

"I-I wasn't," Jack smiles almost guiltily, knowing fair well that North can still read him like the back of his hand. "Is everything alright?" He glances up at the giant globe rotating slowly in the room—just to check on the lit continents of the world (even though he knows the number of beliefs from the children won't drop by very many any time soon).

"Yes," North states boldly as he looks up past the globe and towards his old friend, Manny. But there's a secret in his smile, as if he and The Man in the Moon share something only the two will ever know. North looks over towards Jack again and brings a rough hand on Jack's shoulder. "Jack Frost, how is task going?"

"My—my task?" Jack sputters. It's like he didn't think North would ever know about his job unless he'd asked for assistance. But he hasn't so far... "You know about it?"

North's eyes widen before giving a long chuckle, adding more weight onto Jack's shoulder to keep the man in balance. Jack almost topples over. "Ahhh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa!"

Jack tries to laugh along, but the awkward smile on his face blows his cover. He's always loved North's laughter, but hearing it now only confuses him. "What's, uh... W-what's so funny?"

"Oh, Jack Frost," North sighs happily and then steadies himself into a stance. He grips Jack's shoulder and gives him a firm shake. "That is for you to figure out! Man in Moon chose you to be guardian! So you follow what's in there when you can not figure out what is next," he smiles broadly, pointing towards Jack's chest.

A final pat on his back, and then North is heading towards the factory to go check on the yetis. He accidentally almost steps on an elf who dingles his way towards a stray toy by the door. "Oh! Always in my way," North grumbles, but they all know the good-hearted man never means cruelty.

Sighing as North's large body disappears from the doorway, Jack turns back to Bunnymund and instantly sees the bunny frowning to himself. Curious—always so curious—Jack walks over. "What's going on, Bunny? Tunnels towards the Warren get too clogged with bad eggs?" he jokes.

Bunnymund shoots him an irritated glare, "Not now, mate."

Jack shrugs, but stays in his spot. "What's going on?" He asks again.

"The Man in the Moon gave me a job to complete," Bunnymund sighs tiredly, his Australian accent so evident in his voice. "I-I don't know how to approach it—how to handle it."

Jack nods as he releases a single chuckle. It's one of the first times he's ever seen his good friend Bunny look so helpless. It's kind of amusing to him at the same time, but it also gives him a rush of sympathy, like he wishes to help. "Ha, I know what you mean. Manny gave me a task too," Jack adds.

This catches Bunnymund's attention. He gives Jack a certain look—a studious one at that—but he doesn't ask any questions. Bunny's a respectful one; he can understand when others need space and when to step back in with the comfort can provide. He also knows to never pry a person of their secrets. In this case, it seems as if Bunnymund's dying to ask what Jack's task is about—like it would greatly help his current situation—but he just continues to frown and bite his tongue.

"I've got to get going, mate," Bunnymund concludes, tapping his foot twice against the ground where they're standing near the globe. A hole opens. "Get back to me if you need anything, yeah? You know where to find me." And like the snap of two fingers, Bunny places a foot over the hole and then vanishes before that disappears as well.

Jack brings a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. Unsure of what else to do now, he figures his gut is telling him to transport back to Arendelle, but it's not his heart that's telling him what to do, like North had told him. It's a start in terms of figuring out this complicated task of his, but Jack also shrugs thinking '_might as well'_ because he'd rather see Elsa than anything else right now.

And maybe his answers will come sooner than it takes to get there.

* * *

**Author's Note:** HEY GUYS! Steph here :)

Now, before I get to anything else... The song Defying Gravity... YES I KNOW SORRY IT'S NOT A FROZEN-RELATED **SONG**, but I figured since Idina Menzel had sung that song as well, I was like OMG it actually kind of fits! So I just included that in there. (And another shout out to the musical lovers out there! Kudos if you know what musical the song is from)

Now, onto the other stuff... Things are starting to get interesting! Curious about Bunnymund's task? Hmm, I am too...! (Haha jk) More stuff will start to unfold in the upcoming chapters!


	3. Chapter 3

**Refulgent Winter**

Hi guys! Thanks again sooo much to those who have left reviews/favorited/followed. You'll all be the reasons why I upload (other than the fact that I need to express my Jelsa feels _somehow_ hahaha)

Anyways, I just wanted to share that I don't really care for the year-setting? If that makes sense? I'm writing this with an imagination where it's a few years after the Guardians & kids defeated Pitch Black in RotG, and in Frozen, it's a few months after Elsa decides to open up the gates.

With that said... Onto the story!

* * *

The second Jack passes the forest and officially sets foot onto the grounds of Arendelle, there are two things he notices right off the bat: a child with innocent, big eyes who'd been playing with a stuffed doll drops everything in her grasp and stares at him like she'd just seen something impossible happen. He kindly waves goodbye as he passes by her (_children have seen me before, _he thinks_, no big deal_), but the second thing Jack is aware of is how much heavier he feels on his feet.

He trails his staff lazily behind him, knowing that the frost it makes as he walks closer towards the courtyard near the castle will give the little girl a piece of excitement. He doesn't hear a sound of joy like he usually does when his icy artwork seals the deal though, so Jack glances over his shoulder to check if something had gone wrong while he wasn't looking.

The little girl is still staring at him but now there's a sense of confused shock on her face as her adorable eyes drop the end of his staff. Following suit, Jack glances towards the ground and as clear as day, ice is nowhere to be found. There's nothing but tiny rocks crackling along the pathway and scratching up the elegant wood of his staff like it's of no significance whatsoever.

"Ah...!" Jack kind of exhales a whine as he halts in his tracks and lifts his staff around so that he can inspect the bottom. "Aw, come on..." He complains, seeing that the end of his stick had been scratched consecutively.

He flips the staff back around and taps it gently against the gravel, but the pretty patterns he normally sees when he uses his powers vanishes before he can even spot them. It boggles his mind, irking him as he remembers this had happened the other day at the palace's window.

Jack tries to kick off from the floor beneath him. Maybe he can hold onto his sanity if he can at least soar into the sky and roam freely, but what dumbfoundedness he felt earlier quickly becomes frustration and incredulity mixed in one unforgiving emotion when all that happens is a sorry excuse for a _jump_.

"No..." He mutters to himself in utter alertness and then struggles to take off again. "Are you kidding me...?"

The little girl behind him—who he had completely forgotten due to the damage on his precious staff—giggles quietly. He'd also forgotten that she believes in him—because how else can she see him if she didn't believe?

Jack's ears perk at the sound of her laughter, and he smiles a bit, instantly dropping his dilemma at hand. Children can always bring him reasons to gather all of the positive things rather than the bad.

He looks towards her and waves a goodbye again before continuing his walk to the castle. _I guess there's nothing I can do but walk now_, his thoughts reason with himself even if he thinks he'd spoken out loud.

When he reaches further civilization, there are a handful amount of people who pause to glance at him and his heart feels like it's attempting to jump out of his throat, but then—"Wha—?" Jack loses his voice when he realizes what it is that's exactly going on: _his __**heart **__feels like it's attempting to jump out of his throat_. He can't trust himself with things like this, so he brings a suddenly shaky hand towards his neck and his fingers find a pulse he doesn't expect at all. "Agh!" Jack startles himself and stumbles backwards.

A man accidentally bumps into him, and Jack feels clueless—so helpless and confused, like he's a lost puppy—considering normalcy to him has been morphed into accepting that the people who can't see him or feel him are those who don't believe in him. "I'm sorry, lad. Pardon me."

_Maybe he believes...?_ He asks himself in his head.

"Y-You can see me?" Jack has no idea what is going on anymore, but he can't help but answer his own question. "Of course you can see me, you just bumped into me," Jack says to himself, but the person who had collided into him thinks Jack is talking to _him_.

"Yes, pardon me, lad. Sometimes I can be so oblivious to my surroundings," the man chuckles politely, and then carries on with his business.

Jack is too distracted by the other people around him to bother responding. The passerbyers walking near him keep glancing at him like he's an alien; however, the attention isn't what gets to him. It's the fact that he can _receive_ attention.

He glances down at himself and he's dressed in his usual hooded sweater and his brown pants and bare feet. If he's being entirely rational, his attire must be the real reason why he's being looked at so strangely, not the fact that he's practically—dare he say it—_alive _again.

Jack must look so odd—like the ugly duckling of the bunch—with his long staff and his different style of clothes. He doesn't really know how to feel or how to react, but for the first time since he'd remembered his memories, Jack feels like he's a part of something again.

In this case, he's a part of Arendelle.

_Arendelle... That's right! Elsa! _Jack recalls quickly, and then soon he finds himself sprinting towards the courtyard, over the bridge, and in front of the open gates. It's almost like he didn't lose his powers at all with the little time it takes him to get there; he feels like he'd practically flown.

The guards stand still and stiff as Jack walks passed them. He knows their eyes must be on him as it was so earlier with the townsfolk, but he can't be bothered anymore—figures there's an infinite amount of time, like he's always had, to think everything through, especially his sudden _heartbeat_.

_Yeah, just worry about that later._

A few guards by the castle walls ask him what the purpose of his visit is, and Jack tells them that he's there to see the Queen of Arendelle. It's a lot easier to enter inside than he thought it'd be. However, when he steps his bare feet into the palace, Jack has no idea where to begin.

The castle is huge.

And inviting.

And beautiful.

And everything he'd always imagined the inside of a palace to look like.

Jack comes across a maid with a tray in her hand. "Um, excuse me. Do you know where I can find the Queen of Arendelle?"

To his right, a warm-hearted and cheerful voice catches him off guard. "You mean Elsa?"

He allows the maid to carry on with whatever it is she was doing and then he turns to see a pretty, young woman with red braids falling down both sides of her shoulders. Jack nods until he recalls seeing that colored hair from just the other day. He's guessing this girl is Anna, the one Elsa had been with before he destroyed one of their windows.

_Oops_, Jack almost says out loud as he reminisces, but then Anna smiles broadly. "She's actually not here at the moment, but you seem to have come a long way, mister. You can stay a bit if you'd like. The palace could use a bit more company," she offers politely.

Jack is overwhelmed. He wants to say yes, that he'll be glad to accept the offer and wait for Elsa—like he would have chosen if he were senseless—but at the same time he doesn't feel like it's his place to be standing in such a foreign location.

He's all about the modern city life in Pennsylvania of America, but he'd flown to Norway relying on his gut. He isn't sure if he's here for the right reasons. Heck, he's even gained a pulse and received countless stares from people in the last ten minutes than he would if he were from outer space.

"I, uh... I couldn't," Jack says finally, shoving a hand in his sweater's pocket.

"Oh, don't be silly," Anna fans a hand in front of her. "Come, we'll get you into some clean clothes, and I'll have the ones you're wearing right now all cleaned and pressed by the end of the day." She's reaching for his wrist before he can protest. "Why are you planning to see my sister again?"

_Her sister_... Jack echoes in his mind. _The princess..._ "I-I apologize for showing up so brazenly, Princess of Arendelle—"

"Oh, no need for that. Call me Anna," she says with a smile.

"I apologize—"

"No need for apologizing either," Anna happily hums a laugh as they head up the spiral staircase. "People ask me what I do now that the gates are open, but sometimes I just hope for visitors to come! There aren't very many who come by—sometimes I feel like they're still adjusting to the fact that Elsa is their snow queen—but that's why I always want to treat the guests who _do _stop by with all the respect a guest should be treated."

Jack blinks. "That's very kind—but I-I'm sorry, did you say 'snow queen?'"

Anna has a smirk on her face that Jack wants to follow the reasons behind. "Yes! I see you aren't too aware of the kingdom of Arendelle, good sir."

"Please, Jack is just fine, your majesty," he adds. "And no, not quite."

Anna drops Jack's wrist and claps her hands excitedly. It takes him a few seconds to realize she'd lead him to a rather large, spare bedroom down the stretched hallway. "This counts for story time! How about you wash up in the tub—take your time, okay? And then I'll have Gerda leave you some clothes to change into! You can just leave the clothes you're wearing now on the bed when you're set, and once you're ready, come meet me in the kitchen! That will be the ultimate test!"

From what he's learned about Anna so far, it's that she's talkative, lively, caring, and pleasant to be around. However, Jack knows the talkative side of her will take some getting-used-to. "Test?" He asks warily.

"Every man seeking my dear sister's heart must know that if he wants to shovel his way into her life, he has to be a man who loves his chocolate!"

_Seeking her sister's heart? _

_Wait... What?!_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Please let me know what you guys think :) I'll be introducing a few more characters in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!

Steph


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